LMX2216
0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz Low Noise Amplifier/Mixer
for RF Personal Communications
General Description
The LMX2216 is a monolithic, integrated low noise amplifier
(LNA) and mixer suitable as a first stage amplifier and downconverter for RF receiver applications. The wideband operating capabilities of the LMX2216 allow it to function over
frequencies from 0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz. It is fabricated using
National Semiconductor’s ABiC IV BiCMOS process.
All input and output ports of the LMX2216 are single-ended.
The LNA input and output ports are designed to interface to
a 50X system. The Mixer input ports are matched to 50X.
The output port is matched to 200X. The only external components required are DC blocking capacitors. The balanced
architecture of the LMX2216 maintains consistent operating
parameters from unit to unit, since it is implemented in a
monolithic device. This consistency provides manufacturers
a significant advantage since tuning proceduresÐoften
needed with discrete designsÐcan be reduced or eliminated.
The low noise amplifier produces very flat gain over the entire operating range. The doubly-balanced, Gilbert-cell mixer
provides good LO-RF isolation and cancellation of secondorder distortion products. A power down feature is implemented on the LMX2216 that is especially useful for standby operation common in Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems.
The LMX2216 is available in a narrow-body 16-pin surface
mount plastic package.
Features
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Wideband RF operation from 0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz
No external biasing components necessary
3V operation
LNA input and output ports matched to 50X
Mixer input ports matched to 50X, output port matched
to 200X.
Doubly balanced Gilbert cell mixer (single ended input
and output)
Low power consumption
Power down feature
Small outline, plastic surface mount package
Applications
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Digital European Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)
Portable wireless communications (PCS/PCN, cordless)
Wireless local area networks (WLANs)
Digital cellular telephone systems
Other wireless communications systems
Functional Block/Pin Diagram
TL/W/11814 – 1
Order Number LMX2216M
See NS Package Number M16A
C1995 National Semiconductor Corporation
TL/W/11814
RRD-B30M115/Printed in U. S. A.
LMX2216 0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz Low Noise Amplifier/Mixer for RF Personal Communications
August 1995
Pin Description
Pin
No.
Pin
Name
1
VCC M
2
GND
3
LNAIN
4
GND
5
GND
6
RFIN
7
GND
8
I/O
I
Description
Voltage supply for the mixer. The input voltage level to this pin should be a DC Voltage ranging from
2.85V to 3.15V.
Ground
I
RF input signal to the LNA. External DC blocking capacitor is required.
Ground
Ground
I
RF input to the mixer. The RF signal to be down converted is connected to this pin. External DC
blocking capacitor is required.
PWDN
I
Power down signal pin. Both the LNA and mixer are powered down when a HIGH level is applied to
this pin (VIH).
9
IFOUT
O
IF output signal of the mixer. External DC blocking capacitor is required.
10
GND
11
LOIN
I
Local oscillator input signal to the mixer. External DC blocking capacitor is required.
12
GND
Ground
13
GND
Ground
14
LNAOUT
15
GND
16
VCC A
Ground
Ground
O
Output of the LNA. This pin outputs the amplified RF signal. External DC blocking capacitor is
required.
I
LNA supply Voltage. DC Voltage ranging from 2.85V to 3.15V.
Ground
Absolute Maximum Ratings
Recommended Operating
Conditions
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales
Office/Distributors for availability and specifications.
Supply Voltage (VCC)
6.5V
Storage Temperature (TS)
Operating Temperature (TO)
Supply Voltage (VCC)
Operating Temperature (TA)
RFIN
LOIN
b 65§ C to a 150§ C
b 40§ C to a 85§ C
2
2.85V – 3.15V
b 10§ C to a 70§ C
0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz
0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz
Electrical Characteristics: LNA
(VCC e a 3.0V g 5%, TA e 25§ C, Zo e 50X and fIN e 2.0 GHz
Symbol
ICC
Parameter
@
b 30 dBm unless otherwise specified.)
Conditions
Supply Current
In Operation
ICC-PWDN
Supply Current
In Power Down Mode
G
Gain
P1dB
Min
Typ
Max
Units
6.5
8.0
mA
10
mA
9
10
dB
Output 1 dB Compression Point
b 5.0
b 3.0
dBm
OIP3
Output 3rd Order Intercept Point
5.0
7.0
dBm
NF
Single Side Band Noise Figure
RLIN
Input Return Loss
10
15
dB
RLOUT
Output Return Loss
10
11
dB
4.8
6.0
dB
Electrical Characteristics: Mixer
b 30 dBm, fLO e 1.89 GHz
@
Symbol
(VCC e a 3.0V g 5%, TA e 25§ C, Zo e 50X, fRF e 2.0 GHz
0 dBm; fIF e 110 MHz unless otherwise specified.)
Parameter
Conditions
Min
@
Typ
Max
Units
9.0
12.0
mA
10
mA
ICC
Supply Current
In Operation
ICC-PWDN
Supply Current
In Power Down Mode
GC
Conversion Gain (Single Side Band)
P1dB
Output 1 dB Compression Point
OIP3
Output Third Order Intercept Point
SSB NF
Single Side Band Noise Figure
17
18
DSB NF
Double Side Band Noise Figure
14
15
LO-RF
LO to RF Isolation
20
30
dB
LO-IF
LO to IF Isolation
20
30
dB
RF RL
RF Return Loss
10
15
dB
LO RL
LO Return Loss
10
15
dB
IF RL
IF Return Loss
15
dB
ZIF
IF Port Impedance
200
X
4.0
6.0
dB
b 13.0
b 9.0
dBm
b 3.0
0.0
dBm
dB
dB
Electrical Characteristics: Power Down
Symbol
Parameter
Conditions
VIH
High Level Input Voltage
VIL
Low Level Input Voltage
IIH
High Level Input Current
VIH e VCC
IIL
Low Level Input Current
VIL e GND
Min
Typ
Max
VCC b 0.8
3
Units
V
0.8
V
b 10.0
10.0
mA
b 10.0
10.0
mA
Typical Application Block Diagram
TL/W/11814 – 2
FIGURE 2
Typical Characteristics
LNA
LNA Current Composition
vs Supply Voltage with
Temperature as a Parameter
LNA POUT vs PIN with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814–3
TL/W/11814 – 4
LNA POUT vs PIN with
Temperature as a Parameter
LNA POUT vs PIN with
Temperature as a Parameter
TL/W/11814–6
TL/W/11814 – 7
4
Typical Characteristics (Continued)
LNA (Continued)
LNA Gain vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
LNA Noise Figure vs Frequency with
Supply Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 8
TL/W/11814 – 9
LNA Gain vs Frequency with
Temperature as a Parameter
LNA Noise Figure vs Frequency with
Temperature as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 10
TL/W/11814 – 11
LNA Input Return Loss vs Frequency
with Voltage as a Parameter
LNA Output Return Loss vs Frequency
with Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 12
TL/W/11814 – 19
5
Typical Characteristics (Continued)
MIXER
Mixer Gain (Double Sideband)
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
Mixer Gain (Double Sideband)
vs Frequency with Temperature
as a Parameter
TL/W/11814–20
TL/W/11814 – 21
Mixer Noise Figure (Double Sideband)
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
Mixer Noise Figure (Double Sideband)
vs Frequency with Temperature
as a Parameter
TL/W/11814–22
TL/W/11814 – 23
6
Typical Characteristics (Continued)
MIXER (Continued)
Mixer POUT vs PIN with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
Mixer POUT vs PIN with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 24
TL/W/11814 – 25
Mixer POUT vs PIN with
Temperature as a Parameter
Mixer POUT vs PIN with
Temperature as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 26
TL/W/11814 – 27
Mixer RFIN Return Loss
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
Mixer RFIN Return Loss
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814 – 28
TL/W/11814 – 29
7
Typical Characteristics (Continued)
MIXER (Continued)
Mixer RFIN Return Loss
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
Mixer IFOUT Return Loss
vs Frequency with Supply
Voltage as a Parameter
TL/W/11814–30
TL/W/11814 – 31
Functional Description
TL/W/11814 – 13
FIGURE 3. Block Diagram of the LMX2216
8
Functional Description (Continued)
Typical Gilbert Cell
THE LNA
The LNA is a common emitter stage with active feedback.
This feedback network allows for wide bandwidth operation
while providing the necessary optimal input impedance for
low noise performance. The power down feature is implemented using a CMOS buffer and a power-down switch. The
power down switch is implemented with CMOS devices.
During power down, the switch is open and only leakage
currents are drawn from the supply.
THE MIXER
The mixer is a Gilbert cell architecture, with the RF input
signal modulating the LO signal and single ended output
taken from the collector of one of the upper four transistors.
The power down circuitry of the mixer is similar to that of the
LNA. The power down switch is used to provide or cut off
bias to the Gilbert cell.
Typical Low Noise Amplifier
TL/W/11814 – 15
FIGURE 5. Typical Gilbert Cell Circuit Diagram
The Gilbert cell shown above is a circuit which multiplies
two input signals, RF and LO. The input RF voltage differentially modulates the currents on the collectors of the transistors Q1 and Q2, which in turn modulate the LO voltage by
varying the bias currents of the transistors Q3, Q4, Q5, and
Q6. Assuming that the two signals are small, the result is a
product of the two signals, producing at the output a sum
and difference of the frequencies of the two input signals. If
either of these two signals are much larger than the threshold voltage VT, the output will contain other mixing products
and higher order terms which are undesirable and may need
to be attenuated or filtered out.
Analysis of the Gilbert cell shows that the output, which is
the difference of the collector currents of Q3 and Q6, is
related to the two inputs by the equation:
TL/W/11814 – 14
FIGURE 4. Typical LNA Structure
A typical low noise amplifier consists of an active amplifying
element and input and output matching networks. The input
matching network is usually optimized for noise performance, and the output matching network for gain. The active
element is chosen such that it has the lowest optimal noise
figure, FMIN, an intrinsic property of the device. The noise
figure of a linear two-port is a function of the source admittance and can be expressed by
F e FMIN a
where GG a jBG
Ð
Rn
[(GON b GG)2 a (BON b BG)2]
GG
DI e IC3 b IC6 e IEE tanh
# 2V J ( Ð tanh # 2V J (
VRF
VLO
T
T
and the hyperbolic tangent function can be expressed as a
Taylor series
e generator admittance presented to
the input of the two port,
GON a jBON e generator admittance at which optimum noise figure occurs,
e empirical constant relating the
Rn
sensitivity of the noise figure to
generator admittance.
tanh(x) e x b
x3
x5
a
b ...
3
5
Assuming that the RF and LO signals are sinusoids.
VRF e Acos (0RF t a wRF)
VLO e Bcos (0LO t a wLO)
then
Ð
DI e IEE Acos (0RF t a wRF) b
A3
cos3 (0RF t a wRF ) a . . .
3
B3
# Bcos (0LO t a wLO) b cos3 (0LO t a wLO) a . . .
3
Ð
(
(
The lowest order term is a product of two sinusoids, yielding
a sum of two sinusoids,
Ð
(
AB cos ((0RF a 0LO) t a wRF a wLO)
2 a cos ((0RF b 0LO) t a wRF b wLO)
one of which is the desired intermediate frequency signal.
IEE
9
Figures of Merit
GAIN (G)
Many different types of gain are specified in RF engineering.
The type referred to here is called transducer gain and is
defined as the ratio of the power delivered to the load to the
available power from the source,
2
2
R V
POUT
V
/RL
e OUT
e 4 S OUT
Ge
2
2
PIN
V IN/RS
RL V IN
where VOUT is the voltage across the load RL and VIN is the
generator voltage with internal resistance RS. In terms of
scattering parameters, transducer gain is defined as
G e 20 log (lS21l)
where S21 is the forward transmission parameter, which can
be measured using a network analyzer.
1 dB COMPRESSION POINT (P1dB)
A measure of amplitude Iinearity, 1 dB compression point is
the point at which the actual gain is 1dB below the ideal
linear gain. For a memoryless two-port with weak nonlinearity, the output can be represented by a power series of the
input as
2
3
vo e k1 vi a k2 v i a k3 v i a . . .
TL/W/11814 – 16
FIGURE 6. Typical POUT –PIN Characteristics
NOISE FIGURE (NF)
Noise figure is defined as the input signal to noise ratio divided by the output signal to noise ratio. For an amplifier, it
can also be interpreted as the amount of noise introduced
by the amplifier itself seen at the output. Mathematically,
For a sinusoidal input,
vi e Acos 01t
the output is
1
3
k2 A2 a k1 A a
k3 A3 cos 01 t
vo e
2
4
1
1
a k2 A2 cos 201 t a
k3 A3 cos 301 t
2
4
#
Fe
J
NF e 10 log (F)
where Si and Ni represent the signal and noise power levels
available at the input to the amplifier, So and No the signal
and noise power levels available at the output, Ga the available gain, and Na the noise added by the amplifier. Noise
figure is an important figure of merit used to characterize the
performance of not only a single component but also the
entire system. It is one of the factors which determine the
system sensitivity.
assuming that all of the fourth and higher order terms are
negligible. For an amplifier, the fundamental component is
the desired output, and it can be rewritten as
Ð
k1 A 1 a
Si/Ni
Si/Ni
N a Ga Ni
e
e a
So/No
Ga Si/(Na a Ga Ni)
Ga Ni
(
3
(k3/k1) A2 .
4
IMAGE FREQUENCY, DSB/SSB NF
Image frequency refers to that frequency which is also
down-converted by the mixer, along with the desired RF
component, to the intermediate frequency. This image frequency is located at the same distance away from the LO,
but on the opposite side of the RF. For most mixers, it must
be filtered out before the signal is down-converted; otherwise, an image-reject mixer must be used. Figure 7 illustrates the concept.
This fundamental component is larger than k1 A (the ideally
linear gain) if k3 l 0 and smaller if k3 k 0. For most practical devices, k3 k 0, and the gain compresses as the amplitude A of the input signal gets larger. The 1 dB compression
point can be expressed in terms of either the input power or
the output power. Measurement of P1dB can be made by
increasing the input power while observing the output power
until the gain is compressed by 1 dB.
THIRD ORDER INTERCEPT (OIP3)
Third order intercept is another figure of merit used to characterize the linearity of a two-port. It is defined as the point
at which the third order intermodulation product equals the
ideal linear, uncompressed, output. Unlike the P1dB, OIP3
involves two input signals. However, it can be shown mathematically (similar derivation as above) that the two are
closely related and OIP3 & P1dB a 10 dB. Theses two
figures of merit are illustrated in Figure 6 .
TL/W/11814 – 17
FIGURE 7. Input and Output Spectrum of Mixers
10
Figures of Merit (Continued)
ates the image frequency. The mixer is shown to use an LO
signal generated by a PLL synthesizer, but, depending on
the type of application, the LO signal could be generated by
a device as simple as a free-running oscillator. The IF output
is then typically filtered by a channel-select filter following
the mixer, and this signal can then be demodulated or go
through another down conversion, depending upon the intermediate frequency and system requirements. This external filter rejects adjacent channels and also attenuates any
LO feed through. Figure 9 shows a cascade analysis of a
typical RF front-end subsystem in which the LMX2216 is
used. It includes the bandpass filter and the switch through
which the input RF signal goes in a radio system before
reaching the LNA. Typical values are used for the insertion
loss of the various filters in this example.
Due to the presence of image frequencies and the method
in which noise figure is defined, noise figures can be measured and specified in two ways: double side band (DSB) or
single side band (SSB). In DSB measurements, the image
frequency component of the input noise source is not filtered and contributes to the total output noise at the intermediate frequency. In SSB measurements. the image frequency is filtered and the output noise is not caused by this
frequency component. In most mixer applications where
only one side band is wanted, SSB noise figure is 3 dB
higher than DSB noise figure.
In this application, the LMX2216 is used in a radio receiver
front end, where it amplifies the signal from the antenna and
then down converts it to an intermediate frequency. The
image filter placed between the LNA and the mixer attenu-
TL/W/11814 – 18
FIGURE 8. Typical Applications Circuit of the LMX2216
Ý Comp
1
2
3
4
5
6
Filter
Switch
LNA
Filter
Mixer
Filter
Data per Stage
Gain
N Fig
b 2.0
2.0
b 0.6
0.6
12.3
3.7
b 3.0
3.0
5.8
13.7
b 3.0
3.0
System Cumulative Values
Gain
N Fig
IIP3
OIP3
OIP3
100.0
100.0
6.0
100.0
3.0
100.0
Ý
1
2
3
4
5
6
Gain
b 2.0
b 2.6
9.7
6.7
12.5
9.5
9.5 dB
9.7 dB
b 10.5 dBm
b 1.0 dBm
FIGURE 9. Cascade Analysis Example
11
Cumulative Data
N Fig
IIP3
2.0
97.9
2.6
96.6
b 3.7
6.3
b 3.7
6.4
b 10.5
9.6
b 10.5
9.7
OIP3
95.9
94.0
6.0
3.0
2.0
b 1.0
LMX2216 0.1 GHz to 2.0 GHz Low Noise Amplifier/Mixer for RF Personal Communications
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters)
JEDEC 16-Lead (0.150× Wide) Small Outline Molded Package (M)
Order Number LMX2216M
For Tape and Reel Order Number LMX2216MX
NS Package Number M16A
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